Wolfpack Seewolf

Wolfpack Seewolf 1
Active	2–15 September 1941
Country	Nazi Germany
Branch	Kriegsmarine
Size	17 submarines
Engagements	Convoy ON 14
Commanders
Notable commanders	Wilhelm Zahn Heinrich Schonder Hans-Werner Kraus Otto Ites Heinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock Robert Gysae Karl Thurmann Günther Krech Robert Bartels Klaus Bargsten Gerhard Bigalk

Wolfpack Seewolf 2
Active	21–30 March 1943
Country	Nazi Germany
Branch	Kriegsmarine
Size	19 submarines

Wolfpack Seewolf 3
Active	12–23 April 1945
Country	Nazi Germany
Branch	Kriegsmarine
Size	7 submarines
Engagements	Operation Teardrop Actions of 5/6 May 1945

Seewolf was a wolfpack of German U-boats that operated during the Battle of the Atlantic in World War II.

Seewolf was the name of three separate wolfpacks that operated in 1941, 1943 and 1945, respectively.

1941

This wolfpack operated in the North Atlantic, from 2 to 15 September 1941,^[1] and comprised the following boats:-

U-Boats Involved

Five merchant ships were sunk for a total of 20,396 GRT.

1943

This wolfpack operated in the North Atlantic, from 21 to 30 March 1943,^[2] and comprised the following boats:-

U-Boats Involved

No ships were sunk or damaged

1945

Seewolf was formed in March 1945^[3] in an effort to re-establish the U-boat offensive in American waters; it was the last wolfpack of the Atlantic campaign. Seven of the nine boats that sailed to the Americas were in Seewolf; a further two sailed independently.

Coincidentally, Allied Intelligence formed the view that the Germans were planning to mount a missile attack on the United States, using V-1 or V-2 missiles adapted for launch at sea by submarines. This led to a vigorous response by the United States Navy, code-named Operation Teardrop, to find and destroy the Seewolf boats. This was successful; Of the five boats in American waters by April (two boats had returned to base for repairs, and were still in transit at the end of April) Four boats were sunk during the month:

Seewolf boats had one success; U-546 sank USS Frederick C. Davis, shortly before she herself was sunk.

The fifth boat U-881 was detected and destroyed on 6 May 1945, the last boat in American waters to be destroyed. The two boats in transit when Germany surrendered were given up to the USN on 8 May 1945.

U-Boats Involved

One US warship was sunk by this wolfpack.

References

Bibliography

• Blair, Clay (1998). Hitler's U-Boat War [Volume 2]: The Hunted 1942-1945. ISBN 0-304-35261-6. 
• Edwards, Bernard (1996). Dönitz and the Wolf Packs - The U-boats at War. Cassell Military Classics. pp. 117, 119, 123–125. ISBN 0-304-35203-9.